


Kid, Nabbed

by shadowmaat



Series: A Bounty of Brothers [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aurra is not a nice person, Gen, Protective clones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 06:04:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16258187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowmaat/pseuds/shadowmaat
Summary: Boba gets snatched by Aurra Sing, who want him to join her "family" of bounty hunters. It's never that simple, though, and while he delays and weighs his options, Surge Squad rushes to save him.





	Kid, Nabbed

Boba awoke to a sore head and throbbing ribs. The latter was because he’d been flung over someone’s shoulder and they were running. He managed to lift his head enough to realize that not only was the person carrying him not a clone, but he’d been blindfolded and tied up.

“Hey, put me down.” His words were slurred, which only made him angrier.  _ Sleep darts? _ They’d used  _ sleep darts _ on him? He punched his abductor in the kidney with his doubled fists.

“Knock if off, kid!” A voice snarled. “Aurra said she needed you alive, not in one piece!”

There was a sibilant quality to the voice that told him the man wasn’t human. Trandoshan, maybe. That meant tougher skin rather than actual armor. The name Aurra sounded familiar. Maybe one of Dad’s work associates. Although he couldn’t imagine why anyone would be interested in him. There weren’t any bounties on his head; he’d checked.

“They went that way! Go!”

_ That _ was a voice Boba recognized, even if Thumper’s easygoing manner was absent.

The Trandoshan carrying him swore and picked up his pace. Boba had no idea where they were, but he could hear the sound of booted feet in hot pursuit and also ships landing and taking off, which meant the spaceport was nearby. He struggled harder, yelling to get attention.

That’s when something exploded nearby. He could hear screams. Some of them sounded like clones. The Trandoshan lunged forward and Boba’s stomach flipped as he felt himself rising into the air. The hum of a ship got louder and he felt hands grabbing him and putting him on a cold metal floor.

“There! He’s your problem now, Aurra,” the Trandoshan said. “I thought you said this was gonna be easy!” 

“Aw, what’s the matter, Bossk? You can’t handle a few of the Republic’s meat droids?”

The woman who was probably Aurra had a soft voice, but it was also cold enough to make Boba’s skin pickle. He tried to get to his feet, but the bindings made him stumble.

“You let me go or you’ll be sorry!”

“Let you go? But we’re here to save you, Boba! Isn’t the right, Bossk?”

“Yeah, save him for ourselves!”

There was a meaty thunk and a hiss of pain.

The blindfold was removed and Boba found himself in the cargo hold of a ship, staring at a corpse-white woman with a metal rod sticking out of her head. The only hair on her head was towards the back and it was wrapped in a messy ponytail that somehow reminded him of blood fountaining out of a wound. 

“Hello, Boba.” She smiled at him. “I’m Aurra Sing. I was a good friend of your father’s.”

That was a lie. His father didn’t have friends, just business associates, and none that he trusted past the end of a job. Still, he let her cut the bindings off his wrists and ankles. 

“I apologize for Bossk’s rough treatment,” she continued in a frosty purr, “but we were so worried about you! Your father asked us to take care of you if anything happened to him, but then those nasty clones went and stole you before we could get there!” She frowned, shaking her head.

Boba scowled back. That didn’t sound right. But then again her name was familiar and his dad always liked having backup plans. 

“They didn’t steal me,” he said. He might not like the clones very much, but they weren't bad, just dumb. “And how come Dad didn't tell me about you?”

Aurra’s smile was sharp. “He didn't have time. I’m sure he would have if the Jedi hadn't killed him first.”

Boba’s lip curled in disgust. Sometimes when he closed his eyes he still saw his father dying.

“But it wasn't because he didn't trust you,” Aurra continued. “He told me he had a lot of faith in you because you were so smart and strong.”

He could feel the ship leaving the atmosphere and the tingle in his bones said the hyperdrive was being powered up. He wondered where the clones were. Had Aurra blown them all up? Or were they running for their ship to come and get him?

“He trusted you with all kinds of secret information, didn't he?” Aurra patted his head.

Boba ducked away from it, scowling. He hated having his head touched by strangers.

“Of course my dad trusted me,” he said. “Did he trust you?”

For a moment her smile disappeared and her eyes glittered with threats. Then her expression smoothed out again.

“He did, but some things are secret between a father and his son, right?”

“Things like access codes to his ship,” Bossk added, chiming in for the first time.

So that's what this was about. Boba shrugged.

“Jango left you his ship, you know.” 

Aurra headed through a doorway, gesturing for him to follow. Not seeing any other choice, he did. Bossk hissed at him as he passed and then brought up the rear, trapping Boba neatly between the two of them. Not that he could run anywhere anyway.

“I bet those clones didn't tell you that, did they?” Aurra glanced back at him.

He shrugged again. Aurra entered a small galley and when Boba hesitated Bossk gave him a shove. He stumbled into the room and a cold grip like iron wrapped around his arm.

“Bossk! Is that any way to treat the newest member of our family?”

“Family?” Boba repeated as the Trandoshan hissed something obscene in his native language.

“Of course! We bounty hunters are all one big happy family!”

Boba and Bossk snorted. Aurra’s eyes narrowed.

“Bossk, why don't you go help Castas in the cockpit while I make sure our new little brother has something to eat?”

“Whatever, _ Big Sister.” _ Sneering, he left.

“I'm not little,” Boba said. “And I'm not your brother.”

When the clones called him “brother” or “vod” he hated it because it made them sound like they were related, but coming from the pale bounty hunter who'd abducted him it sounded even worse.

Aurra smiled. “You will be, Little Fett.”

“As soon as you have access to my dad's ship?” His chin jutted out as he glared at her.

She laughed. “I see looks aren't the only thing you have in common with dear old daddy.” 

She reached to ruffle his hair again, but this time he avoided it.

“Admit it, kid. You belong with us.” She dug into a cabinet, pulling out a packet of Choco-wocos, which she tossed at him.  “What have you got in common with those meat droids, anyway? They have no ambition beyond following orders like the good little soldiers they were bred to be.”

Resentment surged. He tossed the packet back on the counter. He might not like the clones, but they were nice to him. Even when he wasn't always nice back.

“You've got bounty hunting in your blood.” She leaned against the counter, folding her arms over her chest. “You could be one of the best. Maybe even the best, just like you old man. But not if you’re hanging out with a bunch of rules-happy clones.”

The worst part was that everything she was saying echoed some of his own thoughts. He did want to be a bounty hunter and he knew the clones wouldn't let him. Probably. Thumper kept telling him he could be anything he wanted to be, but did he really mean it? He stuffed down the little voice that said of course he did. He didn't know. Not really.

Aurra and Bossk were actual bounty hunters, just like his dad. And they'd known him. There were probably all kinds of things they could teach him. It was… tempting. But he didn't trust them. He knew they were just using him to get his dad's ship, but what if he tricked them? What if he made them think he was going along with it and then he just took his dad's ship and ran? Other than their quarters on Kamino  _ Slave 1 _ was practically home. He hadn't realized how much he missed it until now.

“What do you think, Boba? Want to join my little family?”

He stared at her hand for a long moment before reaching out to shake it.

“Yeah,” he said, returning her fake smile with one of his own. “I'm in.”

Over the next few days Aurra went out of her way to make him feel welcome. She showered him with praise, fed him as well as the squad ever had, and promised to teach him how to use her slugthrower once they touched down on Geonosis.

As it turned out, she didn't even know where  _ Slave 1 _ was hidden. Boba was pretty sure if his dad had said she was supposed to take care of him he'd have at least told her that much. Unless he'd expected Boba to tell her.

Once they arrived he took his time about telling them where to go, pretending to be confused. It made her furious, but she was still trying to pretend she was a friend, so she vented her anger on Bossk and Castas instead. Castas was a Klatooinian, and he complained about things a  _ lot _ . Boba stayed well clear of them both. Dad had warned him about their type; if they got him alone they'd hurt him just because they could and then claim it was an accident.

Aurra wasn't much better, though. She was petty and vindictive, but hid it behind a screen of sweetness that sometimes made his skin crawl. He never thought he'd miss the clones, but he did. Especially at night. If he had a nightmare here there'd be no Thumper to comfort him. No Mimic to tell him a funny story. No Smokey bringing him warm milk. He had no one. It hit him harder than he expected.

And yet he still debated staying. Aurra was full of useful advice. Bossk could be funny when he put his grudge aside. Even Castas taught him a few tricks. Was it worth it to stay? Or should he stick to bis plan and ditch them to strike out on his own? He'd been trying to do that since they landed, but Aurra seemed to anticipate his every trick. He was running out of time, and  _ she _ was running out of patience.

He decided to just take them to the ship and figure out a plan from there. But as he was leading them into the correct canyon he caught a flicker of movement. His heart beat faster as he recognized the marks on Smokey’s helmet. Had Surge Squad abandoned their General to come and get him? It seemed incredible ( _ but not really, _ his thoughts whispered), but now that he was paying attention he realized Mimic and Tooka were there, too. Probably all of them.

“If this is another dead end I swear to kriff…” Bossk muttered. He still hadn't figured out Boba could understand Dosh and Boba wasn't about to tell him.

“We’re right where we need to be,” Boba said.

As if on cue Smokey’s voice rang out from a ledge overhead.

“Let Boba go!”

Boba turned to run only to be snagged in Aurra’s iron grip. She flung him at Castas, who wrapped both arms around him and shuffled to the side.

“Leggo!” He squirmed to no avail.

Aurra raised her slugthrower, aiming it at Smokey while Bossk leveled his mortar gun at Tooka, who was standing on an outcropping across from Smokey.

“Well, well, it seems the Republic’s dogs have come sniffing around after all,” Aurra drawled. “Sorry, boys! You’re too late! Boba’s with his  _ real _ family, now, he doesn’t need you batch-grown copies!” 

“Is that right, Boba?” Tooka sounded… amused. “Are you really passing us up for Team Yeet?”

He named the comically inept villains from their favorite holotoon and despite the situation Boba snorted.

“Hey, I like Team Yeet,” Castas muttered.

“I say we kill ‘em and keep moving,” Bossk growled.

Aurra ignored him. 

“If you lower your weapons I might let you live,” she said.

“Aurra, look out!” Bossk yelled… from behind them.

Both of them pivoted to face the canyon entrance while Castas ducked behind a boulder, swearing. Boba wheezed as his grip tightened and Smokey and Tooka opened fire.

“Boba! Eyes!”

Mimic. Of course. He flung an arm up over his eyes just as something rattled in the dirt. There was a bright flash of light. Castas screamed and released him. He scrambled towards Mimic, who scooped him into his arms and started to run.

Stitch and Thumper passed them, heading for the firefight.

“Kill them!” Aurra roared.

“Don’t worry, Bo, I gotcha,” Mimic said.

“Put me down!” Boba wiggled. “I can run on my own!”

Mimic paused to set him on his feet just as Thumper shouted a warning. Boba stumbled as Mimic was flung to the ground, little bolts of electricity crackling off his armor. He snatched up the stunned clone’s blaster and fired at Aurra, but even though he caught her in the leg she still managed to grab him by the neck and haul him close, crouching behind him. He dropped the blaster, gagging as he tried to loosen her grip, but she turned to face the rest of the squad and pressed her own blaster against his temple.

“One wrong move and he’s dead!”

Boba wanted to protest, but he couldn’t breath. He clawed at her hand.

“You harm one hair on his head and they’ll be scraping you outta the dirt for the next hundred years.”

Thumper had never sounded so menacing before. Aurra laughed and started shuffling backwards, dragging Boba with her.

“He’ll still be dead, won’t he?”

Boba managed to twist and suck some air into his lungs before she tightened her hold again.

“What happened to Boba being part of your family?” Smokey asked. “Is this how you treat family?”

“Sometimes you gotta know when to make a sacrifice,” Aurra said.

Boba was getting dizzy. All his suspicions had been correct, though; Aurra didn’t care about him at all. She wasn’t his friend, she wasn’t even his ally; she’d just been using him! He tried batting away her blaster, but she just jammed the barrel against his temple even harder.

He missed what happened next, but suddenly smoke filled the air. He could hear Stitch and the others shouting as Aurra adjusted her grip on him and ran. He gasped for breath and choked, stumbling as Aurra hauled him into a narrow crevasse that soon widened into a hidden gorge.

“You stupid brat!” she hissed. “Was that any way for a real bounty hunter to behave? Your father would be ashamed of you!”

He tried to swear at her but wound up choking instead.

“Maybe I’ve been too nice,” she said. “Maybe if I stopped coddling you you’d grow a spine!”

“It’s over, Aurra Sing.”

Boba’s eyes widened as the Jedi General, Issa Mar, jumped from the top of the ravine and landed before them, light as a feather.

“Give up now and face justice.”

Gold light filled the shadowed space as the Jedi ignited her saber.

Boba dropped to the ground, managing to yank free of Aurra’s grip. He rolled a few times and then scrabbled away, pausing only to fling a handful of dirt in Aurra’s face.

She swore, firing at him, but the Jedi lunged, deflecting the shot with her lightsaber. The fight went fast after that with the Jedi deflecting every shot or redirecting it back at Aurra, who kept having to jump out of the way.

“Jedi scum,” Aurra sneered, and Boba felt the briefest twinge of guilt for having called her the same thing.

“The only scum I see around here is you,” Issa replied, grinning.

The sound of the squad approaching echoed off the walls of the gorge. Aurra pulled some kind of grenade out of her jacket and flung it into the opening, but Issa made a sweeping gesture with her hand and instead it sailed up and up, exploding overhead with enough force to send pebbles and small rocks raining down on them.

Smokey was the first one through and he wasted no time shooting Aurra. Stitch was next and he ran straight for Boba, unslinging his medpack.

“Bo! Are you alright? Can you talk?” He ran a small scanner over Boba’s throat.

“Ye-” Boba broke off, choking.

“OK, no talking then. Let’s get you fixed up and back on the ship.” Stitch gave him a bag of drinking water and then pressed a hypo to his shoulder. Cool relief swept through him as Stitch helped him stand.

“Mi-” he tried to ask about Mimic only to cough again.

“I said no talking,” Stitch warned.

Smokey was putting binders on Aurra, but the others were crowding around Boba, asking if he was going to be OK.

“Here, let me help.” Issa approached, kneeling before him. “I know you don’t like me, Boba, but if you want I can try healing some of the worst damage from your throat. Would that be alright?”

“Nod or shake your head,” Stitch reminded him.

Boba rolled his eyes and then nodded, hesitant. He still didn’t trust the Jedi, but Issa had come with the others to save him. Maybe she deserve a little slack. Just this once.

Issa reached out, her cool fingers gently resting on his throbbing throat. The coolness seemed to seep into him, soothing the worst spikes of pain and making it possible for him to breathe without wheezing. He closed his eyes, distantly aware of Smokey ordering Tooka and Thumper to go and retrieve the other prisoners. 

“Bo should be alright walking back as long as he takes it easy,” Stitch said. “Mimic is still a little wobbly from that stun shot.

Boba’s eyes snapped open and he drew breath to say something.

“Shhh,” Issa said. “Don’t give Stitch any more reason to yell, please.” She smiled at him.

Boba huffed, turning away from her as he struggled to hide his smile with a grimace. Just because she’d helped him didn’t mean they were friends. And it didn’t mean her jokes were funny, either.

He reached up, touching the spots where her fingers had rested. The coolness had shifted to warmth and his skin felt tingly.

A gloved hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up to see Smokey scrutinizing him.

“We’re all glad you’re safe, Bo,” he said. “We’ve been hunting nonstop since you were grabbed. Thumper’s been blaming himself for what happened, so don’t be surprised if he doesn’t let you out of his sight again for a while.” Light brown eyes searched his face. “But… just so you know… We aren’t trying to keep you against your will. If you wanted to leave…” The burned side of his face twitched as his expression tightened. “We wouldn’t stop you.”

Boba looked away, uncomfortable as the weight of the words sank into him. He shrugged, suddenly grateful he had an excuse not to talk. He still intended to reclaim his father’s ship, but… maybe he wasn’t ready to be out on his own just yet.


End file.
